Personal communication devices have become ubiquitous amongst users. Today, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, networked computers, and numerous other communication devices are found everywhere. Many types of communication channels and methodologies facilitate these devices, for example: local- and wide-area wired and wireless networks, broadband communication networks, and many others as are well known to the reader.
Concomitant with the explosive growth of communication technologies has come the development of very inexpensive storage. The inexpensive and readily available proliferation of communication devices, communication methodologies and inexpensive storage has resulted in the development of huge quantities of instantly available data and information to those with communication devices. One well-known method of accessing and distributing information is the Internet, accessible today using all of the various communication devices and methodologies described above. However, many other methods and systems for accessing and distributing such information are available and known to the reader, for example: mobile telephone networks, personal digital assistant networks, conventional dial-up networks, and others.
Ready access to huge amounts of information, however, is not necessarily a panacea for businesses and consumers. While improving the ability for businesses to present information to consumers, the prolific growth of information has resulted in many challenges to both parties. One well-known problem is that of consumers being overwhelmed with too much data. While useful information may be readily available, it can be very difficult to find. Further, the costs and complexities of establishing information sources, for example Web sites on the Internet, can be prohibitively difficult and expensive for small businesses.
In addition to the challenge of actually finding useful information, customers are further challenged by having to interpret the often impersonal nature of the information. This is particularly true in the field of services. While service providers may make their basic contact and availability information known on the Internet, it is very difficult for a consumer to be able to read such information and determine whether the services, hours of business, fees, etc. meet the consumer's needs. For example, while it may be relatively easy for a customer to find the telephone number of a plumber in an emergency, it may be difficult and time consuming for the customer to determine if that plumber can timely meet his needs. As another example, while it may be relatively easy for a customer to locate a restaurant of a particular food type or in a particular location, it may be more challenging to determine if that restaurant can meet that customers individual needs for seating, reservations, etc.
As noted above, it is often difficult and expensive for smaller merchants to adequately advertise their services and capabilities to consumers. The costs and complexities associated with the Internet and networked electronic communications make the use of such methods and communication channels challenging for small businesses. Ironically, it is these very same small businesses that may provide the most personalized and useful services to customers if the customers were able to receive and use the business advertisements and information.
The present inventors have determined that there is a significant need in the marketplace for methods and systems of facilitating communications between merchants and customers that enables merchants to effectively communicate, and customers to readily and effectively receive and use, individual, personalized information. The need is particularly significant with respect to the above-described electronic communications, pervasively in use today. The need is particularly challenging as to communicating large quantities of information in a useful, space-efficient manner.